New Orleans

I have made numerous trips down to the Crescent City, most of which have involved either the Sugar Bowl or Mardi Gras. I made my first trip down to New Orleans for the 2003 Sugar Bowl. I was in college and didn't have a whole lot of money so I spent most of my time drinking free drinks at Harrah's casino while playing nickel slots. I didn't get out of the French Quarter much on that trip and was drunk about 98% of the time. All in all, it was good trip. I made my second trip down for Mardi Gras that same year. It was then that I got my first experience of what New Orleans really has to offer. My buddies Russ and Scooter took the trip down to New Orleans with me and we met up with a college friend of mine. Her parents had a place in the Garden District of New Orleans. Our first meal of the trip took place at Frankie and Johnny's, a local place that serves up some mean crawfish and po'boys. After devouring a couple of lbs. of crawfish, a shrimp po'boy and several drinks, it was off to the parades, a must see for anyone making their first Mardi Gras trip. We watched the parade uptown near Tulane and had a blast. Most of the men and women in New Orleans leave their inhabitions at home for Mardi Gras, which can make for a really good time if you are single. The three of us, all single, did indeed have a very good time. It's no lie that you will see breasts and just about every other part of the female body if your beads are good enough. After seeing many female bodies and drinking plenty of beers from our backpack aka our cooler, we headed to a couple of the bars uptown. We first hit up Fat Harry's and then we went to "The Boot". Both are good places for college aged kids during Mardi Gras. After sleeping in our car the first night, we had our first experience of Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras and it was every bit as crazy as we had heard, so there is no need to go into any detail as to what we encountered. There was very little eating done on the trip, but we became regulars of both Pat O' Briens and Tropical Isle while down there. Pat O' Briens is world famous for their Hurricanes, a little expensive, but they will most certainly do the trick. Tropical Isle is known for the Hand Grenades, my personal favorite. The drink is patented, therefore, it is unknown what is included in the green colored concoction. What I do know is that it is a very powerful drink and you can go from sober to drunk in one drink. The drinks are typically $7-$8, however, if you throw a couple of extra bucks in, you can get them to leave the ice out of the handle increasing the amount of alcohol you get per drink. It's highly recommended for those looking to get stupid drunk. After you have done your drinking in the French Quarter, Fiorella's is a great place to grab a bite to eat. It is located near the French Market. Favorite dishes at this place include the Fried Chicken, Gumbo and the Cajun Burger. The food is inexpenive and very tasteful. The only things that Fiorella's lacks is an extensive beer list and customer service (rude servers, but part of the experience). You will find your typical Millers, Budweisers and such, but not much else. Brew Pubs in or around the French Quarter include Crescent City Brew and Gordon Biersch. Crescent City didn't impress me at all. The food was marginal and with only 5 beer offerings, it left something to be desired. There was only one small tv located at the bar, so for those wanting to watch some sports while enjoying your brew, that is pretty much out of the question. The beers that they did have were average. Overall, Crescent City is considered a stop only for those that are desperate. Gordon Biersch, while not a local brew pub, does offer up good food and good beer. My beer of choice while visiting Gordon Biersch is the Winter Bock, a dark beer with a 7.5% alcohol by volume. Restaurants that need to be on your list while visiting New Orleans Franky and Johnny's, Fiorellas and Mothers, a locally owned New Orleans style Country restaurant. The po'boys are the best in New Orleans, at least in my opinion. The other food is fantastic and they even have a bar next door called Mother's Next Door. Very Clever huh? I made my first New Orleans trip post Katrina for the Sugar Bowl 2008 and I must say, that not much has changed in the tourist areas. I have heard that if you want the real experience though, that you should take a trip down to the 9th Ward to see the true devastation left behind by the Hurricane. That is on my itinerary for my next trip which is currently scheduled for October 2008.